Burton "Gus" Guster
Burton "Gus" Guster II (b. December 1977), also known as the "Vault of Secrets", "Fearless Guster", and other aliases, is the best friend and crime-solving partner of psychic detective Shawn Spencer. He is portrayed by Dulé Hill. Biography Gus has been party to the impulsive adventures of his best friend, Shawn, since they were kids. It gets him into plenty of trouble, which may be why he keeps trying to convince himself that the straight and narrow--a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep, a 401(k), and a regular paycheck of $48,000--is right where he belongs. After all, he is a "sympathetic crier" who enjoys softer interests and doesn't like heights, planes, or jumpsuits. He also has two left knees. So being part of psychic investigations isn't his idea of fun...and it brings him closer to realizing his fear that the story of Gus ends in a tragic, wrongful conviction. Still, the idea of being a private investigator intrigues him, and while he is befuddled by Shawn's behavior most of the time, he knows that the excitement and adventure of their detective enterprise might just make it all worth it.http://www.usanetwork.com/series/psych/theshow/characterprofiles/gus/index.html He does, after all, bring many things to the table: 1) the Blueberry, 2) the Super Sniffer, and 3) a positive work attitude. He can also use skills he picked up from Navy Scouts and an encyclopedic knowledge of pharmaceuticals. In most episodes, he gives Shawn the necessary background knowledge to solve the case. And it probably helps that Gus is 1/16th robot (not the evil kind). Gus was described in the serial killer Mr. Yang's book as "laughing on the outside, crying on the inside. The fastidious wrinkle in the brow of Psych". Yang also wrote that Gus has "skin of pure cocoa velvet-iness" and that she would like to "use that skin to make children's dolls". Education As a child, Gus applied for and was accepted into the Meitner School for gifted students. His parents turned down the placement. They told him it was too far to drive, but they were concerned about separating him from his close friend Shawn. They attended school together through high school, where Gus was voted Most Well Liked and King of Howdy-Day. The only time Gus and Shawn were separated was when Gus went away to attend college. Gus's intelligence leads to the creation of many, often hilarious, theories and philosophies. For instance, Gus has a Teen Wolf theory, based on the move Teen Wolf (or Teen Wolf II). This theory states that, if some guy in his high school turned into a wolf, he wouldn't be cool with him just because he could dunk basketballs. He also believes that Michael Jackson faked his death, having learned how to from Lisa Marie--since Elvis didn't die until 2008. Family Gus's parents, Bill and Winnie Guster, who own a time-share in Chula Vistahttp://www.ci.chula-vista.ca.us/, are overly protective of their son...though they didn't appear to be around when Gus once got locked in a closet with an incontinent tabby named Mr. Bee. Even as an adult, they regard him as a child who needs looking after. Up until he was 30 (and perhaps even now), they insisted that his cockatoo, Mrs. Mugglesworth, didn't die but went to a bird sanctuary due to a rare bird disease she contracted. For a long while, Bill and Winnie disapproved of his friendship with Shawn, whom they regarded as a bad influence. After Shawn and Gus solve a murder for which Bill and Winnie had been wrongfully arrested, they mellow towards Shawn--and offer him cash to look after their son. Gus also has a sister Joy, who shares a mutual attraction with Shawn, and he may have a brother. A brother has been referenced in Gus' blog on the official USA Network website, but has received no mention in the show to date. In the deleted scenes for "Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" on the Season 2 DVD, Gus's mom mentions a brother who lives in Connecticut. Gus also has his uncle after whom he was named--"Burton Guster", nicknamed "Burt" for short. One could also include Gus's first wife in his family--up until their marriage ended. While in Mexico on Spring Break in 1997, Gus met Mira Gaffney and married her on a drunken binge. He broke off the relationship soon afterward, and the two lost contact until 2008, when the marriage was annulled in anticipation of Mira's upcoming wedding. He hasn't been married since--probably because, in general, Gus isn't too smooth with the ladies. On at least two occasions, when he attempts to make small talk with a girl, he uses the line, "You heard about Pluto? That's messed up, right?" Fun Facts Dule Hill played Sam the onion man in Holes, and he had the same creepy stare that Gus has when he's hitting on a girl. Oh yeah, you know the one. Gus is 1/4 Jamaican. The "head peel" is his 4th greatest fear. Gus is also known for his awesomeness on the tap floor in "Feet Don't Kill Me Now". Dule Hill is a tap dancer in real life, as he explains in the "Psych Out" titled "All Tapped Out". Gus is almost never introduced by his real name, as Shawn usually makes up an alias like Lavender Gooms, Clementine Woolysocks, and Ernesto Agapito Garces con y a de Abelar (which was actually given to him by Shawn's uncle). See a complete list of awesome nicknames here. Gus's stress-relieving fantasy is to shoot Shawn in the head. Gus pees sitting down because all the Men's Health journals say it's better for the circulation. References Burton